What is the role of agile transformation in changing leadership styles? What does this transformation bring to organizations?

Doğa ESMER / Agile Office

In today's business world, rapid change and uncertainty have become the norm. In this environment, traditional leadership approaches have given way to a more agile style of leadership that emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and continuous learning. Agile leadership enables organizations to adapt to rapidly changing market conditions and maximize the potential of their employees. This transformation is fundamentally changing not only the way work is done but also the understanding of leadership. An agile approach in leadership is vital for the successful operation of organizations.
What is Agile Leadership and Why is it Important?
Agile leadership is a leadership style that aims to enable teams to work effectively in fast-paced and uncertain business environments. Unlike traditional leadership models, agile leadership emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and continuous learning instead of authority and hierarchy.
An agile leader articulates their vision and purpose clearly and concisely. They empower teams to take risks and act as an inclusive and servant leader, fostering an entrepreneurial spirit within the team and enabling individuals to mobilize based on their roles.
What are the Contributions of Agile Leadership to the Business Model?
Agile leadership accelerates and improves value creation processes at every level of the organization. This leadership approach enables teams to be more creative and innovative. It also fosters a strong culture of collaboration and communication among teams. This results in more effective and efficient work processes throughout the organization.
“Agile leadership accelerates and improves value creation processes at every level of the organization.”
In an agile work environment, the team's ability to make autonomous decisions increases the sense of ownership for each individual within the team. As employees take ownership of their work, the quality of the product they deliver also increases proportionally. While team members make their decisions freely, they also assume responsibility. In a scenario where the team takes responsibility, the excess burden on the leader is distributed equally to the team. This distribution allows leaders to reach a level where they can engage in macro management.
We can consider the words "agility" and "flexibility" as synonymous. Leaders do not set a deadline for a task for teams, they expect it to happen within a certain timeframe. At the same time, since tasks are divided into small pieces and followed methodologically, leaders prevent cumulative errors that may occur.
Agile leadership enables continuous adaptation, new skills, risk-taking, and openness to differences. Team members have the opportunity to receive continuous feedback on their performance, thanks to a mechanism that allows work tracking to respond to changing conditions.
Transitioning to an Agile Business Model: Cultural Change and Leadership Vision
When transitioning to an agile business model, there are two main areas that companies need to value: cultural change and leadership vision. Leaders are one of the most important supporters and implementers of agile transformation. Leaders' ability to continuously respond to and balance team changes consistently increases work efficiency.
Initially gaining popularity in the technology sector, the concept of agility started to become widespread in the energy sector in the 2010s. SOCAR Refinery and Petrochemicals Business Unit took the first steps for this transformation, primarily with agile teams. With the value gained from the agile business model, SOCAR R&P Business Unit embarked on an integrated agile transformation journey. This approach, encompassing value orientation, rapid adaptation to transformation, and striving for a common goal, also brought about a cultural transformation. Leaders, as the most important implementers of cultural transformation, transitioned from traditional understanding to agile leadership and agile management methods. With the agile transformation, the primary goal of leaders became to provide vision and inspiration to the teams. The answer to the question "How will we do this?" started to progress with the autonomous decisions of the teams.
As Epicurus said, "It is important to accept change and find the balance of pleasures. We must understand that change is natural and not something to be feared." Leaders should also develop their organizations by accepting change without fearing it.